- present participle of touch.
adjective
preposition
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of touching
Explanation
Something that is touching affects you emotionally—it makes you feel sad or tender. A touching video about baby hedgehogs might even make your stoic older sister cry. The adjective touching comes from a particular meaning of the verb touch, "to affect or move mentally or emotionally," from the idea that something has "touched" your mind or heart. Your book report might describe the story you read as touching if it left you wiping away a tear.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nvidia stock is within touching distance of a record high as it highlights the usable life of its chips in a rebuttal to Michael Burry.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
"He's a big hard man running that mission. And then immediately terrified of a member of Little Mix touching him on the arm. That's incredible."
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Treasury notes touching 5.25% this week, the highest for almost two decades, Bianco now sees real value and is reversing his bearish call.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
There is something almost touching about the literalism.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
First, she sat next to me, and I brought my book so close to my nose, they were almost touching.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
